Ding Jifu’s main experience

Ding Jifu

Ding Jifu, formerly known as Ding Shouqian, was born in Qi'an Town, Nantong County, Jiangsu Province. He was born in the 33rd year of Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1907). He died of illness in Nanjing in December 1984 at the age of 77 years old. His family has been engaged in farming for generations, and his family background is relatively poor. Jifu was smart when he was young and studied hard. Before Jifu copied the Dharma calligraphy, he must first read it and memorize its structure and writing techniques. Then he would sit down at his desk and copy the calligraphy very carefully and neatly. He also loves Chinese painting.

Chinese name: Ding Jifu

Alias: Ding Shouqian

Nationality: Chinese

Birthplace: Qi'an Town, Nantong County, Jiangsu Province

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Date of birth: 1907

Date of death: December 1984

Occupation: Calligrapher, professor

Graduation school: Shanghai Fine Arts Vocational College

Main achievements: Vice Chairman of Jiangsu Calligraphers and Painters Association

Representative works: "Green Mountains Full of Sunset Illumination", "Green Peaks, Southern Scenery"

Gender: Male

Personal resume

Ding Jifu, formerly known as Ding Shouqian, was born in Qi'an Town, Nantong County, Jiangsu Province, in December 1984, the 33rd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1907). Died of illness in Nanjing at the age of 77. His family has been engaged in farming for generations, and his family background is relatively poor. Jifu was smart when he was young and studied hard. When he entered the new school, he would get up at dawn every day and finish reading Chinese before dawn. Then he would practice calligraphy immediately, no matter the cold or heat, he would never slacken off. Before Jifu copied the Dharma calligraphy, he must first read it and memorize its structure and writing techniques. Then he would sit down at his desk and copy the calligraphy very carefully and neatly. He also loves Chinese painting. Whenever the flowers and trees on campus are blooming, he will use his spare time to sketch flowers.

Biography of the character

After graduating from primary school, he entered Tongzhou Normal University and joined the school's epigraphy and painting research association. He often listened to the teachings of the painter Mr. Li Kuli and worked harder to practice calligraphy and painting, which made him great in his studies. Enter. In 1935, with excellent academic performance, he entered the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts for further studies, specializing in Western painting. He also took an elective course in Chinese seal cutting, where he was taught by professors such as Wang Ge_, Zhu Wenshao, and Fang Jieyan. After graduating from Shanghai Art College, he applied to teach at Nantong County Junior High School (located in Jinsha) as an art teacher. When the Japanese invaded China in 1937 and Nantong fell the following year, he resolutely joined the anti-Japanese and national salvation team. In 1940, he participated in the political power construction and financial work of the anti-Japanese democratic government. Since then he has been working and fighting in the liberated areas. In 1949, he was ordered to cross the Yangtze River and work in the new area south of the Yangtze River.

In 1958, Shanghai Fine Arts College moved to Nanjing and was renamed Nanjing Art Institute. Jifu was transferred to work in the school until his death in 1984. During this period, he served as a member of the Party Committee of Nanjing University of the Arts, Director of the Office of the College, Secretary of the Party Branch of the Department of Fine Arts, and Director of the Department. He has always insisted on the practice of teaching and artistic research, and was promoted to associate professor. Jifu is also a member of many cultural and art groups such as the Chinese Artists Association, the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Association, a director of the Jiangsu Artists Association, the vice chairman of the Jiangsu Calligraphers and Painters Association, and a director of the Jiangsu Federation of Foreign Literary and Art Circles.

Style of work

Painting

Ding Jifu’s painting has its own unique style, ink and wash colors, integrated into one, the brush is used quickly and freely in vertical and horizontal directions. His representative works include the Chinese painting "Green Mountains at Sunset" and the large-scale landscape painting "Green Peaks" which depict the beautiful rivers and mountains of the great motherland using traditional techniques; his splash-ink landscape painting "Southern Scenery" not only uses the traditional rubbing technique, but also successfully He made innovative attempts in traditional Chinese painting; his paintings of winter jasmine, plum blossoms, orchids, lotuses, chrysanthemums, roses and other flowers have extremely exquisite sketching techniques, especially his "Iris", which uses only a few strokes of orchid stems, using pink, Western Bright colors such as red, rose red, and deep red, thick branches and leaves, and dotted flowers are very much like the freehand brushwork techniques of the late Qing Dynasty. His inscription for this painting is "Looking at flowers, I always think of the flower grower", which has a more profound meaning. The painting was selected into the album "New Collection of Modern Flowers and Birds".

Calligraphy

His calligraphy is strong and upright, simple and simple, with running, cursive, official script, seal script, etc., and he is skilled in using the brush.

The styles of the works include banners, banners, naves, and couplets, all of which are extremely elegant. His representative works include the running script couplet "Break a thousand years of old customs and establish a new trend for a generation", the cursive script "Wandering Zi Yin", the official script couplet "The road leads to thousands of miles, the great achievements last forever", etc., which are very popular among calligraphy enthusiasts. The Japanese book "Records of a Visit to China" also selected his masterpieces of calligraphy and seals.

Gold and stone seal cutting

His gold and stone seal cutting is indeed "the most extraordinary thing that looks ordinary, but is easy but difficult to achieve". He spent his whole life studying seal script, learning the calligraphy of Deng Shiru and Wu Xizai of the Qing Dynasty, and was influenced by contemporary famous masters such as Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi, Zhao Zhiqian, etc. He integrated the strengths of each school into one, thus standing out and forming his own unique style. His masterpieces of seal cutting include the giant seal "Long Live the Motherland", the Yangwen seal "Bamboo Famous Painting Seal", "Jie Ran", etc., as well as the white jade seal "In Memory of Bethune" engraved for foreign friends such as Canadian friends. The book "Selected Modern Seals" compiled by him was praised and signed by Comrade Chen Yi. The "Seal" he compiled in his early years has become a good teacher and helpful friend for seal cutting enthusiasts and is also very popular among general readers.

Modern style

Jifu has always been modest, and he was quite famous in his later years. However, he became more and more diligent in studying and his attitude towards creation became more rigorous.

He is over seventy years old and suffers from emphysema, which makes his steps hobbled. However, he still writes calligraphy and painting at his desk and continues to explore the art of seal cutting. His family advised him to take care of his health and rest. He said with emotion: "People always grow old and cannot learn. If you want to learn, you have to study hard!"

Although Jifu has been working in other places for many years, But I always miss my hometown. At the beginning of liberation, he heard that "a cultural station was established in Qi'an Town", which sent more than 100 books from Jiangnan. After that, we kept in touch frequently until the "unprecedented" catastrophe came, and we stopped. In June 1983, he returned to his hometown of Nantong, where he had been away for many years, and held a personal calligraphy and painting exhibition. Nantong party and government leaders and people from all walks of life attended the opening ceremony. Units and individuals such as the Jiangsu Artists Association, Jiangsu Calligraphy Association, famous Shanghai painters Wang Ge_, Cao Jianlou, Feng Jianguan of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, and Zhong Zhenzi of the Hai'an County Federation of Literary and Art Circles also sent telegrams to express their warm congratulations. Jifu was particularly excited when he got together with his neighbors in his hometown. He said: "This is a good opportunity to report to the elders in my hometown. I hope you can get more criticism and advice." Although he didn't say much, he was sincere. At the end of the exhibition, he personally selected Chinese paintings and calligraphy works and three volumes of his books and presented them to Nantong Museum for collection.

At the end of that exhibition, he specially returned to his hometown, looked at the small streets of Qi'an Town, talked about his hometown feelings, and showed his indescribable nostalgia.

After he returned to Nanjing from Qi'an Town, he passed away in 1984, only a year and a half later.